


The One Where Jack Wants the Racecar Bed

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2436851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was enough going on; no need to muddy the waters with silliness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Jack Wants the Racecar Bed

“Ready, Emily?” he asked.

 

“I am so ready this time.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I am so sure.” Emily looked at him and smirked. “OK, the first couple of times I wasn’t ready but really, I am this time.”

 

“OK.” Jack replied, unable to hold in his giggle. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

 

Emily pressed the button and her truck started moving in the grass. Jack was doing the same, quickly gaining on her. She pressed the button for dear life but he flew past her and through the ribbon they set up between the trees.

 

“I won!” he jumped up and down, giggling frantically. “I won, Emily.”

 

“I see. You wanna try the best three out of five?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Well I won once, so if we go another two times and I win both then…”

 

“You won't win both.” Jack replied.

 

“I won't?” she asked.

 

“Uh uh.” The almost five year old shook his head.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Um, cuz…we can play a game that you like, Emily.”

 

“I'm good at lots of games, I’ll have you know.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Checkers; I rock at checkers.” She said.

 

“I like checkers. What else?”

 

“Uno, and Go Fish, and Trivial Pursuit.”

 

“I wanna play Trivial Pursuit.” Jack said.

 

“I think it’s for ages 5 and up.”

 

“I'm almost five.”

 

“Yeah.” Emily nodded. “You know what, they have editions for kids your age. Let’s put that on a list of things to get for you.”

 

“Can we put a racecar bed on a list of things to get for me too, Emily?” Jack asked.

 

“I don’t know about that, kiddo. That’s a rather big purchase.”

 

“My friend Percy got a racecar bed for his birthday. He just had a little sister. I’m a have a little sister so I should get a racecar bed too.”

 

“You know that’s rational.” Emily replied.

 

“What's rational mean?”

 

“That means it makes sense. I think you should tell daddy that you want a racecar bed.”

 

“I will.” Jack jumped up and down. “I’m a get a racecar bed.”

 

“Whoa, slow down cowboy…daddy hasn’t said yes yet.”

 

“Let’s ask him now.”

 

Jack started running toward the edge of the park but Emily’s voice calling his name stopped him. He looked back.

 

“You know the rules. Come and pick up your toys and we will calmly walk back to the house. C'mon.”

 

The little boy nodded. He ran toward the two cars and grabbed them both. Handing them to Emily, he watched her put them into the bag they carried to the park. He also handed over his remote control.

 

“Where’s your soccer ball?” Emily asked.

 

“There.” Jack pointed at it.

 

“Go and get it so we can pack it up, please.”

 

He nodded, going to grab it. They packed up, Emily took his hand, and they headed out of the park. On the way out, Jack dropped their snack bags into the trashcan. He looked up at Emily.

 

“I had a lot of fun.” He said.

 

“I'm sure you did…you kicked my butt.”

 

“No I didn’t! That would be mean.”

 

Emily laughed, rustling Jack’s thick hair. The walk back to Hotch’s place wasn’t long and they talked and laughed the whole way. Emily unlocked the door and Jack burst in.

 

“Daddy! Daddy, I think…hi mommy!”

 

“Hey there.” Haley turned and smiled at her son.

 

Both Emily and Jack noticed that Hotch was tense. They didn’t say a word but Jack looked at his father, then his mother, and finally Emily.

 

“Am I in trouble?” Jack asked as Emily helped him out of his jacket.

 

“Of course not, Jack.” Hotch crouched down in front of him, placing his hands on the little boy’s shoulders. “Why don’t you go in your room and play; everything is OK.”

 

“Are you sure, daddy?”

 

“Positive.” Hotch grinned though he felt like doing anything but.

 

Jack nodded, still not entirely convinced. He took hold of the toy bag Emily placed on the floor and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

 

“What's going on?” Emily asked, taking off her own jacket. She draped them both over a kitchen chair. “Is anyone thirsty? I'm going to grab something to drink.”

 

“No.” Haley replied.

 

“Hotch?”

 

“No, baby, thank you.”

 

His ex-wife glared at him when he said it. Hotch surely wasn’t going to apologize. It had slipped out but it was what it was. There was enough going on; no need to muddy the waters with silliness.

 

“So what's up?” Emily came out of the kitchen with a bottle of white grape and peach juice.

 

“Jack’s cousin Kimberly is performing her first solo with the church choral tomorrow morning. I came to get Jack so he can be there.” Haley replied.

 

“It’s our weekend.” Emily replied.

 

“Aaron’s weekend.” Haley amended.

 

“I'm Aaron’s fiancée, Haley. It’s our weekend. We only get every other weekend and it’s rare we get a full one because of work. This is the first time in a while and we want every moment. He’s staying with us.”

 

“Emily…” Hotch said.

  
“What?” she looked at him. “Am I wrong?”

 

“My whole family will be there.” Haley said.

 

“Hotch, are you going to agree to this? She’s just going to take Jack? We have dinner and movie plans. Tomorrow we were going to start a new plane and…”

 

“Just let me handle this.” He said, not wanting it to seem as if her opinion didn’t matter. “I'm going to handle this.”

 

Hotch’s eyes pleaded with her and Emily understood. She didn’t need to get upset and certainly not angry. She also didn’t need to antagonize Haley; that was going to be more trouble than it was worth. She wasn’t Hotch’s wife yet so as much as she hated it she didn’t actually get a say. What she wanted to say was that Hotch’s custody agreement was a piece of shit and while she was at it, so was his ex-wife. Her chance to pull a Bette Davis would not be today. Emily put on a smile that even though she couldn’t see it knew made her look like her mother.

 

“I’ll leave you to it.” She said. “Haley, it was good to see you again.”

 

Haley didn’t reply; she just put on her smile. Emily turned and walked out of the room. She would go and see what Jack was up to.

 

“Aaron…”

 

“Emily is right.” Hotch didn’t let her finish. “I don’t get enough time with my son as is, Haley. This isn’t fair.”

 

“What's not fair is that you put your job before Jack.” She replied.

  
“I do not…we’re not going to fight about this. Jack is staying with Emily and I this weekend. Kimberly will be singing again and he will see it then. I want my time; I deserve it.”

 

“She’s never going to be his mother.” Haley said.

 

Hotch didn’t bother to dignify that with a response. She wanted a fight; he knew her well enough to know that. He wouldn’t give it to her. A full weekend off was so rare, letting her get to him would be his own fault. Hotch took a deep breath through his nose and then exhaled.

 

“Emily loves Jack, and so do I. He’s staying with us Haley; we don’t need to fight about it. It’s my weekend and Kimberly will sing again.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Please don’t do this again. You have your time and I have mine. It’s not perfect but this is how we do it for now. You could have just called…we could have handled this over the phone.”

 

Haley nodded, walking to the door. Hotch followed her and opened it.

 

“I apologize, Aaron.”

 

“Apology accepted. Enjoy your evening.”

 

She walked out the door. Hotch watched her walk down the street to her car before closing the door and walking down the hall. He stood in his son’s doorway and watched Jack and Emily playing on the floor. They were talking, laughing; that made him smile. Emily was so good with Jack. She didn’t talk to him like he was unintelligent, as people tended to do with children. She talked to him as she did everyone else. 

 

Emily answered every one of Jack’s questions, and the questions could be endless; she always enjoyed the time they spent together. She never minded when he woke them too early or wanted to climb into bed with them. She was a tickler, a runner, spinner, and roller, though she had to stop some of that since she got pregnant. It wasn’t just the good times; Emily had shown herself to be a disciplinarian when it came to that. Jack respected her, he liked her…he loved her. So did his father as a matter of fact.

 

“What are you guys up to?” he asked.

 

“We’re putting together my puzzle.” Jack said. “It’s Pokemon.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Is Mommy still here?”

 

“No, she left.”

 

“Do I have to leave?” Jack asked.

 

“Of course not. She just came over to talk about some things. It’s nothing you have to worry about, Jack, I promise. What do you think we should make for dinner?”

 

“I want barbecued chicken!”

 

“Sounds good to me.” Emily replied, nodding.

 

Jack nodded as well, going back to his puzzle. Emily looked at Hotch. He put on a smile, caressing her face. She smiled at him and turned her face to kiss the palm of his hand.

 

“You start dinner; we’re going to finish this puzzle.”

 

“Alright.” Hotch stood from the bed and headed for the door. “Wait,” he turned. “You guys didn’t tell me how the park was.”

 

“Emily wanted three out of five.” Jack replied.

 

“I'm sorry?”

 

“I suck at racing cars.” Emily said.

 

“But she’s good at Trivial Pursuit.” Jack added.

 

“She is.” Hotch smiled.

 

“Oh, and I want a racecar bed.”

 

“We’ll get one for the new house.” Hotch replied.

 

“Really?” Jack looked at him with wide hazel eyes.

 

“Sure. You're going to need a bed so we’ll get you one.”

 

“Thank you, daddy.” Jack got up, ran, and hugged him.

 

Hotch smiled, leaning and kissing the top of his head. Jack went back to his puzzle and Hotch went out to make dinner.

 

***

 

“Which one was it tonight?” Hotch asked. He closed the file and took off his glasses as Emily came into the room.

 

“Please don’t tell me you're reading a case file in bed.” She replied.

 

“I was just…I was reading a case file in bed.”

 

“I said don’t tell me that, SSA Hotchner.”

 

“OK, then forget I just said that.” He grinned at her, putting the file on the nightstand. Sometimes it had to be done; he was an FBI Unit Chief. Emily typically understood. He hoped that would be the case tonight. “Which one did Jack want tonight?”

 

“We read _One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish_ , _Blue Fish_ together and then I read him _The_ _Sneetches_.” Emily sat on the bed and smiled. “I can't believe how brilliant he is, Hotch, being with him just makes me feel so good.”

 

Hotch smiled, pulling her close and kissing her softly. Emily stroked his cheek as they slid under the blanket. Hotch held on to her, closing his eyes and relishing the feeling of her pregnant belly on him. It was late April; she was almost five months along. Everyone knew that Emily was expecting her first child. She had even recently told the team about it. 

 

What they didn’t tell the team is that they were planning to be married in the very near future. It would be something small and even if they both hated the idea, it would have to be a secret. As much as something that is a matter of public record could be a secret, that is. They were breaking the ultimate rule of their jobs, not matter how antiquated it was. Everyone broke it, had since it was instituted, but Hotch wasn’t everyone. He was a leader; supposed to be leading by example. 

 

Straight-laced, by the book, perfect to a fault was how so many described him. This included some of his past and present colleagues. No matter how hard he tried, and there were times in the beginning when he tried very hard, Hotch could not find fault with falling in love with her. Emily was so perfect for him. When he wanted to retreat she could easily stand on the front line and help him get through it. They both had their darkness, the secrets within, but they kept living. She made him laugh, smile, and yearn. Starting a family with her, and watching her and Jack grow closer, brought him a happiness he never thought he would have again. 

 

Emily accepted every facet of him, and even accepted there were things she didn’t yet know. Hotch couldn’t say she never would but he was sure she would be alright with that. Surely there were things he didn’t know yet. The best part of it was he didn’t feel sick about the eventual revelations on either of their parts. Hotch and Prentiss were perfect, almost everyone said so. Aaron and Emily were strong enough to handle the rest. 

 

“Penny for your thoughts.” Emily whispered, softly kissing his neck.

 

“I love you. Thank you for not losing it with Haley today.”

 

“It’s not my place…yet. I didn’t want to make trouble or make Jack feel as if he was stuck in the middle of something. I've been there and it’s an awful place. It was better to walk away.”

 

“I'm just glad you came in when you did. She almost had me agreeing to it.” Hotch said.

 

“I wish I could say I sensed your trouble.” Emily smiled, lifting his tee shirt over his head. “Really, it was Jack’s appetite. Your son is an eating machine.”

 

“He’s a growing boy.”

 

“He’s a greedy gut.” She laughed. “In his defense, his metabolism is faster than a Harley-Davidson. What a bundle of energy.”

 

“I used to be that way.” Hotch kissed her.

 

“Oh Agent Hotchner, you're still that way.”

 

“Am I?”

 

“Oh please,” Emily lifted her arms as Hotch freed her from her tee shirt. “I can recall plenty of times where you’ve left me exhausted.”

 

“The good exhausted I hope.”

 

Hotch splashed kisses across her breasts. He loved the way she quivered and moaned when he flicked her nipple ring with his tongue. Emily’s skin had been become ultra sensitive lately. The simplest thing, stroking the nape of her neck or kissing the inside of her wrist, excited her. Hotch did his best to not even touch her in the field. He was getting so good at it Rossi asked him recently if everything was alright with the couple. It was slightly embarrassing but Hotch gave an abridged explanation about her skin. Rossi gave him a smile and didn’t say another thing about it.

 

“Mmm, always,” Emily rolled them on the mattress, straddling him. “Always.”

 

Hotch grinned, running his hands up and down her naked back as he deepened their passionate kisses.

 

“I love you, baby. I love you so much.”

 

“I love you, too, Aaron.”

 

They loved undressing each other, touching, kissing, and caressing. Hotch let his fiancée run the show; he was never disappointed when he did. When they were finally exhausted, Hotch spooned with Emily, kissing across her shoulder blades as she sighed contently.

 

“I think tomorrow after brunch we should go to the store and buy a Trivial Pursuit we can play with Jack.” She said.

 

“You really want to beat him at something, don’t you?”

 

“Oh my God, no,” she laughed. “You know that’s not it. I have to admit that getting bested by a four year old in almost everything kinda hurt. Still, I'm happy as I can be that Jack is so good at everything he does. I think about our baby when I'm with him…he is so excited to be a big brother.”

 

“I know. I admit I was worried how he would react but he’s been amazing. He even told me tonight that he likes the name Sydney. Apparently, he has an admirer in his preschool class with the same name.”

 

Emily laughed, turning to kiss him. She snuggled close and closed her eyes. Hotch held on, falling asleep thinking about his son, daughter, and the woman who would soon be his wife.

 

***

                                                                                                                       

  
 


End file.
